AN EXPLORATION OF FRICTION: EFFORT VS EASE

 

This week, I listened to a podcast that talked about Roku’s partnership with DoorDash to create shoppable ads. The hosts called it “the next phase of the couch economy,” and I thought, okay, it’s really time to write the newsletter about friction.

To start: does it feel, most days, like we’re living in the “couch economy?”

Americans are busier than ever, more stressed and burnt out than ever. Our culture demands constant productivity, asking us to be passionate, driven professionals at work; thoughtful, attentive partners or parents or roommates at home. We have these little computers, worn in our pockets and on our wrists, that beg for attention, claiming to make our lives easier while asking us to continue consuming, improving, hustling at all times. (Oh, how I hate the word “hustle!”)

And also: those little computers do offer some convenience. At home (being a thoughtful, attentive partner/parent/roommate) after a long workday (being a passionate, driven professional), we’ll soon be able to click on a shoppable ad and food will appear at our door. We move nothing but our thumbs. It’s convenience! It’s the couch economy!

 

 

I’m so interested in this, the interplay between effort and ease, how technology impacts both. And it’s complicated, because we all live within system(s) that require a lot of us. There are efforts we must take on and conveniences we must lean on to simply continue plodding forward.

But it’s also worth thinking about, if we have the opportunity:

when should we shed friction? When should we lean into it?

 

 

The answer that floats to the surface, for me, is that friction is best when it happens offline. And, equally, that offline practices that sound like ease do require effort, particularly as we push against the constant tide of inputs coming our way.

It can take real effort to create or prioritize moments of silence, of rest. It can feel like friction to venture out into the world to buy groceries when they can so easily be delivered, or to write that thank you note to the person we’ve been meaning to write for weeks (months!). It 100% feels like friction to create this newsletter.

And yet: silence and rest have been proven to lower blood pressure and stress, improve insomnia, and stimulate creativity and focus. Going to the grocery store affords the kind of quick, cheerful IRL interactions that measurably boost our mood (and day). Writing a note, specifically one of gratitude, can improve mental health and wellbeing. These feel like efforts worth engaging in.

 

 

I’m curious about the frictions that feel meaningful—and meaningless—in your lives.

What efforts fill your cup? What conveniences make space for ease or joy?

Comment to let us know!

 

 

Looking for practices? Try:

• for a bit of friction: handwrite a note to someone you’ve been thinking of.
• for a bit of ease: heat a mug of tea. Drink while staring at the wall.

 

Looking for more on the subject?

• Podcast: “The First Eatable Ad” (The Best One Yet)
• Articles:
  • Burnout was supposed to get better. It hasn’t (Vox)
  • 8 Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Silence, Plus How to Get More of It (Healthline)
  • The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers (The Atlantic)
  • Writing a thank-you note is more powerful than you think (Harvard Medical School)

love + 💌,

Anna from Pidge Post